Method of producing drawstring bags



Oct. 27, 1953 P. B. HULTKRANS METHOD OF PRODUCING DRAWSTRING BAGS Filed March 1, 1951 IN VEN TOR. fimM/mw Mam W ,4 Tree/Vera.

Patented Oct. 27, 1953 METHOD OF PRODUCING DRAWSTRING BAGS Paul B. Hultkrans, Milwaukee, Wis., assignor to Milprint, Inc., Milwaukee, Wis., 'a corporation of Delaware Application March 1, 1951, Serial N or 213,356

2 Claims. (Cl. 93-35) The present invention relates generally to improvements in the art of packaging and transporting diverse articles, and relates more particularly to improvements in the production of re-usable bags of the draw string type.

A primary object of the invention is to provide an improved method of rapidly and economically producing draw string bags from sheets of heat sealable material in a minimum number of simple steps to provide durable, inexpensive and highly attractive final packaging and transporting containers.

It has long been customary to utilize various types of flexible sheet materials for protectively packaging commodities in a neat and attractive manner; and due to its flexibility, relative durability, receptiveness to printing and comparative ease in effectively sealing the same, heat scalable materials such as Pliofilm have been used quite extensively for packaging purposes. However, the vast majority of these prior packages embodied outer wrappers, bags, pouches or the like which were intended merely for protective purposes and subsequent discard after their intended .single use; and although it has been heretofore proposed to package various types of commodities in re-usable bag-like containers adapted for utility or marketing use after removal of the originally packaged commodity, the commercial use of such containers has been rather limited because of the difficulties encountered and expense involved in producing adequately reinforced units in quantity and at low ultimate cost while maintaining the attractiveness thereof.

It is therefore a more specific object of my present invention to provide an improved method of producing exceptionally sturdy and unitary bag-like containers of relatively inexpensive heat sealable sheet materials, the containers produced in accordance with such method being capable of repeated use for protectively housing, storing and transporting diverse articles.

Another specific object of this invention is to provide an improved method of rapidly and ef ficiently producing re-usable packaging and marketing bags of heat scalable sheet material, whereby the mouth portion of the bag may be readily provided with draw string closure means without need for providing additional reinforcement or stiffening strips.

Another specific object of the invention is to provide an improved method of effectively applying draw strings to re-usable bag-like receptacles formed of flexible and transparent heat sealable sheet material with the aid of ordinary heat and pressure sealing apparatus in an exceedingly simple manner and at exceptionally low cost.

Still another specific object of my present invention is to provide an improved and novel method of economically producing readily clos- '2 able draw string type commodity bags in. a commercially practical manner from sheets of rubber hydrochloride or other heat scalable materials.

An additional specific object of the present invention is to provide an improved method of producing draw-string bag-like containers from sheets of flexible material, which comprises, initially forming a flat open-mouthed bag from the material, thereafter removing the corners at opposite ends of the bag mouth to provide a pair of flaps, positioning a cord about the flaps within the corner cut-offs, thereafter folding the flaps over the cord and against the adjacent external surfaces of the bag walls, and finally sealing the folded over portions of the flaps beyond the cord to confine the latter within the folds.

These and other specific objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description.

A clear conception of the features constituting the present improvement, and of the several steps of the 'improved method of producing draw string bags in accordance with the invention, may be had by referring to the drawing accompanying and forming a part of this specification, wherein like reference characters designate the same or similar parts in the various views.

Fig. l is a plan view of a typical pair of superimposed flat sheets to be utilized in the improved bag producing method and illustrating the initial step thereof, a portion of one of the sheets being broken away to reveal the other sheet;

Fig. 2 is a similar plan view of the sheets after the initial sealing or second step of the method, a portion of one of the walls being broken away to reveal internal structure;

Fig. 3 is another plan view of the assembled sheets illustrating the third and fourth steps of the improved method, one of the walls again being partially broken away to reveal internal structure;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the bag assemblage after application of the draw string and illustrating the fifth step of the method, parts of the end flap, draw string and bag wall being broken away to reveal normally concealed structure;

Fig. 5 is still another plan view of the bag after final application of the draw string by the sixth and last step of the method, a portion of the bag wall likewise being broken away in this view;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary elevation showing the final bag in use with the mouth closed by the drawn cord; and

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary transverse vertical section through a bag produced in accordance with the improved method, the side walls of the bag being somewhat spread apart for sake of clarity.

While the invention has been specifically shown and described herein as being particularly applicable in the production of flat commodity receiving bags of the draw string type formed of sheets of heat sealable materials such as Pliofilm and having the side walls bounded by an edge seam, it is not desired or intended to thereby unnecessarily limit the scope or utility of the improvement; and it is furthermore contemplated that certain descriptive terms used herein be given the broadest possible interpretation consistent with the disclosure.

The gist of my present invention is to provide a method of applying draw strings or cords to open-mouthed flat bags, which comprises, removing the corners of the bag at opposite ends of the mouth to provide a pair of flaps, then positioning a string or cord about the flaps, thereafter folding the flaps over the cord and against the adjacent external surfaces of the bag walls, and finally sealing the folded over portions of the flaps beyond the cord to the adjacent bag walls to confine the cord within the folds.

In the commercial exploitation of the improved method, the various steps are performed as illustrated in the several figures of the drawing. Referring particularly to Fig. l of the accompanying drawing, a fiat bag-like container may first be provided by initially superimposing a pair of similar fiat'sheets I0, II of flexible heat sealable material such as Pliofilm; and thereafter sealing all but one edge of the superimposed sheets, as at I2, by application of heat or heat and pressure in a well known manner to form a bag open along one end I4, as illustrated in Fig. 2. Next, the seals at the opposite ends of the open end I4 are severed as by removing the corners along diagonal lines, as shown at I5 in Fig. 3, to provide end flaps I6, I! on the initially sealed sheets III, II respectively; and a suitable draw string or cord I8 may subsequently be positioned about the end flaps I6, I! within the area defined by the corner cut-offs I5 as also illustrated in Fig. 3. With the cord I8 thus positioned about the fiaps I 6, II, these fiaps are folded outwardly in opposite directions along intermediate portions thereof and over the cord I8 until the ends of the flaps I6, I! lie fiat against the adjacent external surfaces of the respective sheets I8, I I as shown in Fig. 4; and finally, the folded over portions of the fiaps I6, I! are sealed, between the cord I8 and the flap ends, to the respective sheets I0, II by application of heat or heat and pressure to provide a seal I9 and thus confine the cord I8 within an intermediate portion of the end fiaps I6, I! and between the folds thereof, thereby completing the bag as shown in Fig. 5.

From the foregoing detailed description, it is believed apparent that the present invention provides an improved method of producing re-usable draw string type bags in a rapid and commercially practical manner with the aid of standard equipment. The improved method comprises a minimum number of simple steps, and results in the provision of extremely durable and highly attractive commodity packaging and carrying receptacles of unitary construction. The bags resulting from commercial exploitation of the method have proven highly satisfactory in actua1 use, and diverse commodities have been packaged and widely distributed in the improved units. In effecting the heat seals I9 at the mouth of the bag to confine the draw string or cord I8, both of the flaps I6, I! may be simultaneously sealed to their respective walls I0, II by merely inserting a spacer or tongue within the mouth and between the bag walls to prevent sealing of the walls to each other at the mouth portion I4;

and to insure against loss or inadvertent removal of the draw string I8, the extending ends thereof may be tied together in the usual fashion. In use, commodities may obviously be initially merchandised in the improved bags, and by inserting the commodities through the mouth portion and thereafter tightening the string, as shown in Fig. 6, a highly efficient protective package is provided which may be conveniently handled and carried. After removal of the commodity, the improved containers may be re-used for marketing or the like on innumerable occasions; and it is, of course, apparent that more than one draw string may be provided if desired.

It should be understood that it is not desired to-limit this invention to the exact steps of the method, or to the particular materials described herein as advantageously. utilized, since various modifications within the scope of the appended claims may occur to persons skilled in the art to which this invention pertains.

I claim:

1. The method of producing bag-like containers from sheets of flexible heat sealable materials, which comprises, superimposing a pair of the fiatsheets, heat sealing all but one edge of said superimposed sheets to form a bag open along one end, thereafter simultaneously severing superimposed corners of both sheets at opposite ends of said open end to provide corresponding end flaps, positioning a cord about said end flaps within the corner cut-offs, thereafter folding said flaps outwardly and in opposite directions along intermediate portions thereof over said cord and against the adjacent external surfaces of said sheets, and finally heat sealing the folded over portions of said flaps beyond said cord to said sheets to confine said cord within the folds beyond the ends of the sealed bag seam.

2. The method of producing bag-like containers from sheets of heat sealable material, which comprises, superimposing a pair of the fiat sheets, heat sealing all but one edge of said superimposed sheets to provide a bag open along one end and having sealed side seams, thereafter diagonally severing the corners at opposite ends of said open end and across the sealed seams to provide corresponding end flaps extending beyond the sealed side seams of the sheets, positioning a cord about said end flaps within the diagonal corner cut-offs, thereafter folding said fiaps outwardly and in opposite directions along intermediate portions thereof and over said cord and against the adjacent external surfaces of said sheets, and f1- nally heat sealing the folded over portions of said flaps beyond said cord to said sheets to confine said cord within an intermediate portion of said end flaps and between the folds thereof beyond the sealed side seams of the sheets.

PAUL B. HULTKRANS.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 544,197 Staples Aug. 6, 1895 1,920,824 West Aug. 1, 1933 2,054,298 Poppe Sept. 15, 1936 2,125,758 Waters Aug. 2, 1938 2,290,564 Kreuger July 21, 1942 2,409,100 Brady Oct. 8, 1946 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 6,015 Great Britain of 1887 

